


The Unseen

by Everything4Everyone



Series: Learning the Story [3]
Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Allen Walker Can See Innocence, Allen Walker Needs a Hug, Crown Clown is Protective of Allen, Gen, Innocences Are People, Nea is Confused, Synesthesia, kind of, slight AU, synchronization
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24477274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Everything4Everyone/pseuds/Everything4Everyone
Summary: The characters read liketolaugh's Synchronization.Allen had always been able to see Innocence as long as he can remember; now everyone else gets to see what that's like. Secrets will be revealed, pasts will be brought to light, and the Innocences will finally be shown for who they truly are...Will everyone make it out okay?
Series: Learning the Story [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1405873
Comments: 45
Kudos: 105





	1. The Dome

**Author's Note:**

  * For [liketolaugh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liketolaugh/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Synchronization](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5172830) by [liketolaugh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liketolaugh/pseuds/liketolaugh). 



> Hi guys! This story is where the characters read liketolaugh's Synchronization. You should probably go read that first because it is amazing! I don't own D.Gray-man or Synchronization. 
> 
> A million thanks go to liketolaugh for giving me permission to write this! Anything in bold belongs to her.

**Once they realized that they’d have to wait for the Science Department to get them out, the people still conscious settled around by the door. One by one, the exorcists deactivated their Innocence.**

**Tsukikami sat down beside Timothy with a short nod to Allen, and Timothy ignored him, frowning at the ground. Mugen started pacing angrily, shooting Allen periodic frowns that made Allen look away. Noel Organon ignored everything except Marie, clearly worried by his bleeding finger-stumps.**

**Allen took a deep breath, and deactivated Crown Clown.**

Instantly, Allen was hit by a wave of dizziness as the world spun around him, what seemed like a million colors blurring before his eyes as he clutched his head, looking around frantically for Crown Clown. 

His first thought was that it had something to do with how he’d stabbed himself earlier; maybe the clash between Noah and Innocence had been too much for his body to take and Crown Clown had been holding it back, or maybe Crown Clown had been the only thing keeping him alive and the deactivation had been what had finally killed him, or maybe he just hadn’t wanted to face the questions he knew would be coming. 

_Fear. Alarm, worry! Assurance! Baby Allen held safely within Crown Clown’s arms! Protection._

But then arms wrapped around him, comforting and familiar and _safe_ , and Allen relaxed. Crown Clown was there, and he was safe. He wasn’t going to die, and whatever happened next he would face it with his Innocence by his side. Crown Clown wouldn’t let anything happen to him.

Allen closed his eyes, curling into Crown Clown’s protective embrace as he very purposely shut the world out. He felt almost like he was a child again, curled up in Crown Clown’s arms and shaking from cold and pain and hunger and hoping that each day would not be his last.

Almost. But not quite.

* * *

Eventually, the world stopped spinning and the taste of rainbow faded from Allen’s tongue, Crown Clown’s arms seeming to solidify somehow, as if nothing had been truly real before but was now.

_Reassurance. Care. Worry._

It was hard to uncurl from his protective ball, to move away even the slightest from Crown Clown, but he didn’t know where his friends were or if they were safe or what had happened. And he knew that people could still get to him through Crown Clown, no matter how hard both of them held on. If they held on too hard, then Crown Clown got hurt too.

_Encouragement._

Allen blinked as he took in the sight before him. People and Innocences alike were scattered all over the floor, many of them clutching their heads, groggy and disoriented and not quite there enough yet to truly panic. The Innocences that had recovered enough were hovering worriedly over their accommodators, eyes scanning frantically for injuries. 

Looking around slowly, Allen blinked in surprise as he noticed that there were more people there than he had previously been with. There were probably more than twice the people who’d been there before, although he was still too muddled to figure out exactly who had been with him and who hadn’t and who was missing. 

The room they were in was the next thing he noticed. It looked like they were in a huge golden dome, with a perfectly flat door and the walls and ceiling curving up far above their heads. The walls were lined with a gigantic circular couch that had what seemed like an excessive amount of plush cushions. The only other furniture was a coffee table in the exact center of the room, with a thick book resting on top of it.

Screams and shouts drew Allen’s attention back to the people, who had evidently come back to themselves enough to realize that none of them were where they had previously been, that there was no exit, and began to panic.

However, it was Kanda’s shout that alerted him that something was very wrong. “Oi, Beansprout, who are all these people?!”

_Surprise! Astonishment… wariness._

Allen stared in astonishment at Kanda, who was holding Dark Boot’s arm in his hand and scowling darkly at her. If Kanda could see and touch her, then everyone else should be able to as well… 

Looking around, Allen noticed that everyone, Innocence and human alike, were staring at him, waiting for him to give an answer. Both sides eyed each other nervously, wary and unsure. Humans could only rarely see Innocence; heck, even parasite-type Innocences were rare. Humans seeing Innocence was nearly impossible, rare enough to be practically unheard of, and even Allen only knew of himself and Timothy, and only a few of the Innocences knew Timothy. He was the only one who could explain this.

Allen sighed heavily. This was going to be such a hassle. Slowly, he gathered himself up, pulling himself to his feet with Crown Clown hovering anxiously at his side, arms outstretched to catch him if he faltered. 

He tested his balance carefully, then smiled at his Innocence. “I’ll be fine,” he assured quietly.

 _Disbelief._ Crown Clown glared at him softly, pointedly looking around the dome they were trapped in. _Worry, concern._ He returned his attention to Allen. _Care_. 

“I know,” he said, “but there really isn’t much I can do about that right now. For now, we should probably focus on catching everyone up and figuring out why we’re here. That’s more important.”

 _Disbelief._ Crown Clown turned his head, catching Allen’s silver eyes with his own Innocence-green ones. _Allen as a baby, Crown Clown beside him. Allen growing up slowly, Crown Clown still beside him. Allen as he was now, Crown Clown beside him. Allen in color and a world of black and white. Importance! Love-affection-care! Crown Clown holding child Allen, Allen’s smile! Importance!_

Allen couldn’t hold back the rush of love he felt for his Innocence right then. The smile he gave was more real than any of his had been for a while. “Thank you,” he said quietly, infusing the words with all the love and thanks he felt.

The smile and joy he got in return was more than enough.

Finally turning his attention to the room of impatient and wary beings, Allen smiled. “Would all the humans please go to the left and others to the right? That would let me see what exactly we’re working with here.”

Kanda shot him a suspicious glare but let go of Dark Boot’s hand and went to the right, leaning against the wall with a scowl on his face. The others followed suit and Allen quickly scanned everyone’s faces, groaning in disappointment at some of the people he saw. 

Deciding to start with the Innocence, Allen crossed over to the right side of the room, Crown Clown silently shadowing him. “I think simple introductions will be the best way to do this,” he said, gesturing out over the room.

“Accommodators,” he began, “these are your Innocences.”

The room fell silent. Allen swallowed nervously, and Crown Clown rested a hand on his shoulder. _Assurance. Pride._

He started at the end. “This is Timothy’s Innocence, Tsukikami. Then this is Lenalee’s Innocence, Dark Boots, and Marie’s Innocence, Noel Organon. Then there is Time Record, Miranda’s Innocence, Bloody Krory, Krory’s, and Judgement, Master Cross’s. This is Iron Hammer, Lavi’s Innocence, Maker of Eden, Tiedoll’s, Heaven Compass, Bookman’s, and Mugen, Kanda’s.” 

Looking back over the line, Allen made sure that he hadn’t forgotten anyone. “I think that’s it for the Innocences. Did I miss anyone?” He asked, turning to the gaping humans on the other side of the room. 

A few of them numbly shook their heads, but then Lavi piped up. “What about the guy following you around? He’s also Innocence, right? I’ve never seen him before.”

Allen blushed. “Oh yeah! Sorry,” he looked back at his Innocence, “this is Crown Clown. He’s my Innocence.” 

Crown Clown waved. _Greeting!_

Lenalee shuddered, holding her arms close to her body. “That’s so weird…” she murmured softly. 

Allen nodded in agreement. “I guess it is at first, but you’ll get used to it. It might take a while to be able to understand them, though. They… don’t exactly use words, as you might have noticed.”

Looking across the humans, Allen gestured for Timothy to come up. “Everyone, this is Timothy Hearst. He’s a new accommodator, and can also see and hear Innocence. Timothy, this is the Black Order. That’s Lenalee and her brother Komui. She’s an exorcist and he’s a scientist. That’s Kanda, don’t get on his bad side unless you want to get stabbed, and this is Lavi, exorcist and Bookman’s apprentice. That’s Rouvelier, he’s one of the guys in charge, and Link, a CROW who’s amazing at baking. That’s Reever and Bak, two scientists, although Reever’s from my branch and Bak’s from the Asian Branch. That’s Miranda, she scares easily so be careful, and Krory, who gets confused a lot. There’s Bookman, who records history, and Marie. He’s blind, but he can hear really well. That’s Master Cross. He’s a General and probably one of the worst men you’ll ever meet, but he’s honest, and Tiedoll, who’s a really good artist and rather laid back.”

Gazing at them for a moment, Timothy looked back up at Allen. “Why are we here?”

Allen shrugged, looking around. “I don’t know, but I bet it has something to do with that book right there. Come on, let’s check it out. There might be a note or something.”

He started walking, Timothy beside him and Crown Clown still hovering at his back, a bit less cautious now that it was evident that Allen wasn’t going to escape but still wary. 

Crown Clown got to the table first, hovering over the note, eyes skimming the paper. _Caution, wariness. Interest! Confusion. Wariness._

Allen got there second, instantly finding the note and picking it up in his gloved hand, skimming through it. 

“Well, what does it say?” Lavi asked, stepping forward on his tiptoes a bit. “Come on, tell us!”

Allen shrugged, turning back to the note and beginning to read it out loud. _“To my esteemed guests._

_“You’re probably wondering why you’re here. That’s a rather easy question. I brought you here to read a book about Allen and his ability to see Innocence. You might not like it, but you cannot leave until the book is finished. Time is paused while you are here, so don’t worry about that. I believe this will be a very good experience for all involved.”_

Allen swallowed, looking to Crown Clown, who smiled at him. _Reassurance. Love-care-pride. Worry, pride. Assurance._

Allen resumed reading, hesitating slightly. _“Allen, to be fair, I’m going to bring Neah into the forefront of your mind. He can’t take you over unless he gets really pissed about something, which isn’t really likely but could happen. He’ll be able to see and hear what you do and you’ll be able to talk to him easier. Everyone else, you will not be allowed to attack or apprehend Allen or Neah for ANY reason. If anyone needs to be restrained, I shall do it myself. The Innocenses are solid and tangible here, meaning that they can touch everyone, so don’t piss them off. Crown Clown’s probably the most dangerous, but the rest of them can still be deadly. Have fun reading!”_

Turning the paper over in his hands, Allen watched Crown Clown pick up the book. It was a thick hardcover, with at least several hundred pages. The cover was black, with an embossed picture of Allen with Crown Clown activated. His back was turned and he was looking over his shoulder, displaying both his left arm and his scar. He was both grinning and smirking.

Frowning down at the cover, Crown Clown sighed. _Resignment._

Allen agreed. “Come on, we might as well get this over with,” he sighed, gesturing toward the couch lining the dome wall. “We can’t leave until it’s done; might as well start now.”

“Much as I hate to admit it, the beansprout’s right,” Kanda sighed, looking put out. “Besides, there might be good blackmail material in there somewhere.”

Slowly, everyone began migrating to seats. Allen sat with Crown Clown to his left and Timothy to his right, everyone else sitting down wherever they wanted. Kanda made a point to ignore Mugen completely, and some of the others eyed the Innocences warily, but no one said anything loud enough for anyone else to hear.

Crown Clown passed the book to Allen, who took one look at it and promptly passed it to Timothy, who scowled at it and passed it on to Tsukikami, who passed it on to Mugen, who gave it to Lenalee, who hesitated before opening to the first page.

“Synchronization, Chapter One: Waking Up.”

She stopped reading and looked up at them, eyes wide and uncertain.

Allen shared a glance with Crown Clown. Depending on how far back this went, some very delicate things could be revealed. The Order (and his friends) might not like some of the things they could read here, especially if it showed scenes from his childhood. 

Allen was pretty sure that he was the only human to actually be raised by Innocence, and he was almost definitely the first to have been bonded with by one before being born.


	2. Cross Abuse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this chapter should help explain why they take so long to come out... I'm pretty sure the parts I wrote in between are like twice as long as the chapter they're reacting to. Sorry if it doesn't make much sense, but I hope you like it!

  
  


Hesitatingly, Lenalee turned to the book, running her fingers over the words but not really reading them. Allen watched her with bated breath. Wherever this started, it was sure to be bad. There really hadn’t been much peace in his life and that had never really changed. 

Allen watched as Lenalee took a deep breath and read the first sentence, voice shaking.

**Allen didn't like humans.**

Lenalee stopped reading there, looking up at Allen with wide eyes. Allen fidgeted uncomfortably, feeling the weight of everyone’s stares.

"I don't feel like that anymore," he said, lowering his head so he wouldn't have to look at them. "I like most of you, and there are a few Innocences I've disagreed with. This is from the past, remember? Probably before the Black Order and you guys."

He left out the fact that it was still true for a good many people, both in and out of the Black Order. Allen still had a tendency to like people in particular and had never really gained much of a fondness for humans in general. He’d still save them and protect them and defend them, but unless they managed to spark his interest in some way, he probably wouldn’t grow to like them too much. 

**Allen had never liked humans, and that… hadn't changed, really, no matter what impression he liked to give off.**

That was certainly true. Humankind as a whole was rude and selfish and uncaring. They were cruel and hateful and greedy. Yes, they could be kind and selfless and giving, but only to everyone who fit in with their way of thinking. And yes, there were the outstanding people who didn’t care if someone wasn’t perfect and could and would help people without asking for anything in return, but there were so few...

**Oh, certainly, there were individual people that he liked.**

All of Allen’s friends perked up, moving closer as if that would magically make sure that they would be on the list of people he liked. Allen still wasn’t quite sure when this entry piece was set, but he was pretty sure it was from before he’d joined the Black Order, when the only humans he’d ever loved had been Cross and Mana. Mother and Barba had been kind to him, but he had never truly learned to love them as he had Cross and Mana, and they knew and understood that.

**Mana, most importantly. And Master, as much as he liked to pretend otherwise - an irritating man he was.**

Cross grinned, revelling in the sight of all the Black Order brats slumping back in their seats dejected.  _ He’d _ been mentioned when none of them had, and though he was well aware that was because of the time period this was set in, he decided not to care. 

**But in general, Allen did not like humans. He thought that they were cruel, and cold, and complicated, and otherwise difficult to be around.**

Lenalee’s voice wavered as she finished the sentence, her heart breaking at the thought of Allen hating humans. She’d known him for what felt like forever, and she’d never once thought he didn’t like humans. Even she had never believed all humans to be bad, not even in her darkest times. What had Allen gone through, to have such a dark view on humanity?

**That didn't mean that he had no friends, of course.**

To everyone’s surprise, Crown Clown pulled Allen closer, the slightly taller boy leaning over and resting his head in the junction between his head and shoulders.  _ Pride. Assurance! Love. Crown Clown standing next to Allen. A crowd of faceless people, all the same. _

_ Assurance, _ Dark Boots put in, frowning at her shoes as if they had done her a great injustice.  _ Allen helping Lenalee, Allen smiling at Dark Boots. Relief. Thankfulness.  _

_ Agreement!  _ Iron Hammer bounced excitedly on the heels on his feet as he spoke, having been one of the few to remain standing.  _ Allen standing with Iron Hammer and Lavi! _

_ Judgement laughing at Cross, _ Judgement pitched in, scowling at his accommodator,  _ Allen trying and failing to hold in a smile. A shared glance, eyes bright. _

_!  _ Crown Clown smiled, looking down at Allen.  _ Love! Allen alone, Allen with Crown Clown, Allen in a room full of people, all with faces.  _

Lavi spoke up, voice quiet and serious. “I don’t know what they’re saying, Allen, but… I’m your friend too.”

Allen smiled up at Crown Clown, eyes shining with unshed tears. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “All of you,” he added, looking at Iron Hammer and Dark Boots and Judgement and all the other Innocences, and then the humans. 

Lenalee laughed quietly, almost brokenly. “Not even past the first page and there’s already been so much,” she said. “Can I keep reading?”

Allen blushed. “Yeah, of course. Sorry…” 

She hoped that, by the end, he would no longer need to apologize.

**Allen shivered.**

Lenalee hesitated briefly. “I don’t know how to pronounce the next part, Allen,” she said. “It’s punctuation marks on their own, I’m guessing for Innocence speech?”

Allen nodded. “Just say what they are. A question mark is a question mark, an exclamation point, an exclamation point, and so on.”

“Thank you,” Lenalee said, returning to the book and trying to ignore the shaking in her hands.

**_?!_ **

**A soft whimper escaped his throat, and, slowly, his trembling right hand reached up to brush the bandages over the left side of his face. He blinked, and his vision slid into focus.**

Allen swallowed harshly. There were only two times in his life he’d had bandages on the left side of his face, and neither of them had been happy. This… this could be no other time than after Mana died, after he’d woken up for the first time. This was before the Black Order, so… Mana…

Allen couldn’t help reaching out, threading his hands into Crown Clown’s, pressing himself up against the slightly shorter boy. The time after he’d lost Mana had been one of the worst times of his life, having finally been given a taste of everything he’d ever wanted and having it stolen away.

For all their sakes, he hoped it didn’t cover that in too much detail, or have too long devoted to that time period. He’d had to find himself again, make himself anew, had struggled to feel anything at all. He almost hadn’t made it.

**A hand, cool and gentle, grasped his wrist and tugged it away from his face. Allen blinked again, swallowed, and looked at its owner.**

**_?_ **

**Concerned, bright green eyes met his. Beside Allen, holding his wrist lightly, was a freckled boy with neat orange-red hair, maybe fourteen years old. As Allen watched, the boy shifted his grip to hold Allen's hand instead, curling his fingers around Allen's.**

**_Worry._ **

Lavi snuck a glance toward Allen, worried and intrigued all at once. It was different to hear what Allen thought of the Innocences than it was simply to see them. They looked eerily like humans, but their eyes… suffice to say, that alone was enough to convince him that what Allen said was true.

But the way Allen was holding on to Crown Clown, the strange tone of the book… there were some bad memories associated with this, weren’t there? Something bad had happened.

**"C-Crown Clown?" Allen whispered. His voice was quiet, nearly inaudible, and cracked badly somewhere in the middle. Still, Crown Clown smiled, warm and relieved.**

**_Relief. Happiness._ **

**Allen couldn't bring himself to smile in return; tears glimmered in his uncovered eye, and when he spoke again, it was high and miserable. "I'm sorry."**

Lavi’s expression dimmed even more, if that was possible. He’d grown to love Allen, Allen with his strange quirks and sad eyes and determination to do good. He’d never heard Allen sound that way, and he found himself praying to any God that might exist that he never would.

**Crown Clown's smile vanished and his expression turned solemn.** **_Apology_ ** **. With his free hand, he reached up and softly brushed the spilling tears away.** **_Regret. Apology._ **

**Allen's breath hitched, and he leaned his head into the touch, shaking slightly, mind struggling to work. "Wh-what happened?" Why did his throat hurt so much?**

The answer was obvious, in retrospect. Screaming and crying, followed by who knows how long in a bed, oblivious to the world. He probably didn’t drink too much, and he knew he hadn’t really taken care of himself much after Mana had died. 

**The other's face slid into impassivity, which would have concerned Allen more if it weren't normal for Crown Clown. Images, brief but vivid, flickered behind Allen's eyes.**

**_Allen, catatonic._ ** **And then,** **_Allen by the grave, bleeding, Crown Clown unable to get his attention. A man with red hair, picking him up and carrying him away. An old woman bandaging his face. Waiting._ **

**Allen's face crumpled slightly, and he hid his face in his knees. "Oh," he whispered. So Mana… he'd really killed Mana. Mana was really dead. And none of it had been a dream, a bad dream, so Mana…**

Lenalee felt herself pale. Allen had  _ killed _ Mana? That could be true! She didn’t know much about him, but Allen had loved him with all of his heart. Allen wouldn’t have,  _ couldn’t  _ have, killed Mana.

Lavi frowned. From what he knew of Mana, he’d raised Allen, and Allen had loved him. He was certainly taking his death hard. Perhaps guilt for having inadvertently caused his death?

Allen simply closed his eyes and focused on the comforting feel of Crown Clown’s arms holding him safely close. 

**Crown Clown squeezed his hand.** **_Reassurance_ ** **.**

**Allen's breath hitched again, and he felt Crown Clown move to hold him, warm and gentle and loving, and he started to cry, in silent, miserable sobs.**

Komui felt his heart break as he listened to his sister, her words almost as horrifying as her tone, voice wavering and thick with tears. He hated it whenever his darling little sister cried, and it was made twice as heartbreaking by the fact that they were reading about  _ Allen _ crying. He’d never seen Allen cry before. He’d always seemed unbreakable, managing to always get through it and make the best of things. Hearing Allen so… broken was the only word he could think of, and in Lenalee’s voice, well… Komui was sure he’d remember that moment for the rest of his life.

**He was sorry, he was so, so sorry, Mana…**

**Crown Clown held him and comforted him in soft tones, gentle and familiar, rocking him like he was a tiny child again.**

Reever blinked, startled. “You could see him as a child, before you activated your Innocence?”

Allen nodded, looking rather sheepish. “I’ve always been able to see Crown Clown. He’s been with me as long as I can remember. It took me a while before I realized no one else could see him, and by then I didn’t really care.”

Absentmindedly, Reever pulled out a notebook and made a quick note, remembering only afterwards that he probably wasn’t supposed to. Blushing, he looked at Allen. 

Mugen was frowning disapprovingly at him and Dark Boots had her arms crossed. Crown Clown was glaring darkly in a deep and vengeful way, and Reever suddenly feared for his life. 

Allen smiled at him semi-cheerfully, gently and rather discreetly soothing Crown Clown. “It’s okay,” he said softly, and Reever knows it was meant for Crown Clown but also to him. 

Hardly daring to breathe, he set the notebook on his legs and tried to make himself look as harmless as possible. Having Allen’s permission, reluctant as it was, was probably about the best thing that could have happened; now he at least knew Crown Clown wouldn’t attack him, and Crown Clown seemed… powerful, perhaps, in a way the others weren’t. Protective in a way that none of the others seemed to be.

It was odd, certainly, and though Reever wasn’t sure if Crown Clown could actually hurt him, better safe than sorry. He didn’t know the rules of Innocences, nor of the place they were in, and he certainly did not want to die any time soon!

**Crown Clown had been there for Allen for as long as Allen could remember. No one else could see him, but Allen had never cared. He never even cared about Crown Clown's odd way of communicating - not better, not worse, but different, and hard to understand. But worth it. Worth it to know what Crown Clown wanted to say to him, what he meant by those feelings and pictures and impressions.**

Timothy’s mouth dropped. “So that’s how you understood them so easily! I can barely understand… Tsukikami? I think that’s it… even when he speaks really slowly and carefully. You’d think it would be something that comes with seeing them, but nope, you’ve gotta learn a whole new language that you can’t speak or hear and doesn’t even use words, while they can understand us just fine! That’s not fair…”

Allen laughed softly. “They had to learn our language too, you know. They weren’t just born magically knowing everything. No, they had to learn everything, just as we do. They just had to do it differently. And they have the advantage of having learned a long time ago,” he added thoughtfully, almost absently.

Crown Clown pulled Allen close to him again, the grey-eyed child going easily, curling into his side.  _ Thankfulness, relief.  _

Reever scribbled the notes down, eyes wide. He was learning more in this one chapter about Innocences than he had in all of his years of being a scientist for the Black Order! 

And Crown Clown… the Innocence was so different from all the rest. Perhaps it was from Allen seeing and understanding him, but he seemed… more real, somehow, almost like he was one of them. And he was so close to Allen… 

**And then later, with Mana, it was worth learning words again. To know what** **_Mana_ ** **said.**

“Learning words again?” Komui asked, faintly alarmed. How did someone just  _ forget _ words? He had to at least understand them, right? 

Allen grinned sheepishly, sitting upright in his seat. “For a long time, I didn’t pay words any mind at all. I knew how to speak by the time I was two, but I didn’t care what anyone had to say but Crown Clown, and he doesn’t use words. I didn’t really need to speak until I was seven, when I joined the circus.” He smiled up at Crown Clown. “Crown Clown helped me learn to speak again and what words meant, but I still didn’t really care much about words or using them or what they meant until I met Mana. He and Crown Clown helped me to understand a lot that I didn’t know or didn’t care about before.”

Komui had to reluctantly admit that made sense. He knew some of Allen’s past, enough to know that he’d been a part of the circus before being found by Mana and had been taken in by Cross after the other man’s death. But before the circus, it made sense that he might not have been big on talking. Many exorcists had hard pasts, his precious little Lenalee included, and it made sense that if Crown Clown had been with him as long as he said that he would have naturally had a hard life.

**Allen cried for a long time. But no one could cry forever, and finally, he stirred and sat up, wiping at his eyes, still sniffling.**

**It was at this moment that the door opened, and Allen glanced up, tears still drying on his face, to find the red-haired man from the graveyard, back turned as he closed the door.**

Cross grinned, sitting up. “Ah. My introduction. I feel so honoured, brat. The first human to show up in the story about you.”

Allen rolled his eyes, turning to Timcanpy. “Bite him for me, will ya, Tim?”

Face paling, Cross shot out of his seat and took off running as Tim obligingly lunged at him, mouth open to reveal sharply pointed teeth.

Allen laughed as he watched Tim chase Cross around the dome, the pair of them going in large circles between the coffee table and the couches, leaning against Crown Clown.

The Innocence wrapped an arm around him, hugging him close. Allen leaned against him, resting his head in the crook of his shoulder as they watched the golem chase the man, shrill yelps coming with every near miss. 

To his surprise, Allen felt Timothy hesitantly press up against his side. Smiling lightly, he opened his arm and felt the child instantly snuggle into his side. The poor boy had just had a very difficult day, what with discovering the existence of Innocence and the fight and now this. 

Turning his head slightly, Allen looked above Timothy’s head to meet Tsukikami’s worried gaze. He jerked his head down to point at the younger boy, a clear invitation in his eyes.

Hesitating, Tsukikami looked down at Timothy, eyes soft and worried.  _...Hesitance. Concern, worry. Nonacceptance…? _

_ Acceptance!  _ Crown Clown snapped.  _ Tsukikami calming Timothy down, Timothy trusting Tsukikami.  _

“He’s just had a long day, Tsukikami. He’s just tired,” Allen reassured, slowly stroking the boy’s head. Timothy wasn’t quite asleep, more drifting in that space between being awake and asleep, but Allen doubted he knew what they were saying or cared what they meant. “He trusts you. Come on.”

Tsukikami hesitated again, eyes flicking between Allen, Crown Clown, and Timothy for a moment, before slowly easing closer to them, wrapping an arm around Allen’s back. 

Allen flinched for a moment, surprised. He hadn’t been expecting Tsukikami to touch him. He’d only just met the Innocence, and they usually took a while to trust them. He’d been expecting him to just hug Timothy. 

Tsukikami felt him flinch and immediately tried to pull away.  _ Regret, apology! Apology! _

Acting quickly, Allen seized his arm, keeping him from moving away. “It’s okay,” he told him, ignoring the way Crown Clown had stiffened at his flinch. “You just surprised me, that’s all. You didn’t hurt me.”

Tsukikami’s eyes flicked to Crown Clown to confirm his words. At the redhead’s reluctant nod, he slid slightly closer so that Timothy was pressed between him and Allen, and rested his arm more securely behind Allen’s back, carefully supporting him.

Allen couldn’t help but smile. Here, surrounded by his friends, his  _ family _ , he felt safe, protected, loved. Tsukikami’s caution and protectiveness had been expected, but to have it extended to  _ him _ made him feel warm inside, in a way that had once been so rare but that he now felt more often than he’d ever thought could happen.

Snuggling into the grips of the three surrounding him, Allen closed his eyes for a moment, feeling Timothy curled up against him, Crown Clown’s shoulder beneath him, Tsukikami’s arm behind him, and felt  _ loved. _

A sudden loud yelp followed by loud swears made him jump, his eyes flying open as he straightened, eyes immediately flashing to Cross, who was clutching the back of his head and swearing violently, then to Tim, who was hovering in a very self-satisfied way, teeth stretched in a bloodstained grin.

Timothy shot up with a yelp not even a second after Allen, blinking in surprise at his new position squished between Allen and Tsukikami, then immediately being distracted by Cross.

“Wow!” He exclaimed, eyes wide. “Not even my dad knew that many swear words!”

Cross whirled around at that, hands flying from his head. “I should hope not! I have a reputation to uphold, ya know!” He gesticulated wildly, blood flying from his hands only to dissipate before it hit the ground. “I know the second most amount of swear words of anyone I know, and I’m extremely well-travelled! I made it onto the world records for one of the people who know the most swear words! If your father, whoever he is, ever knew more than me at any point in his life I’ll feed Timcanpy to a cat and give the cat to Allen!”

Timcanpy’s bloody grin abruptly ceased. The golem hovered for a moment, then fled to Allen, diving to land in Timothy’s lap. Wide-eyed, Timothy absently pet the golem as he stared at Cross. 

“Who knows more than you?” He asked, leaning forward slightly, brown eyes wide and curious. 

Cross glared at him one more time, harshly, before straightening. “The damn brat sitting next to you, unfortunately.”

Timothy’s head spun so fast it almost gave him whiplash.  _ “Allen?” _

Allen smiled sheepishly down at the child. “Yep. Me.”

The boy couldn’t seem to decide whether to be awed, bemused, or horrified. He eventually decided on awed. “That’s amazing! Can you teach me some?”

Allen and Crown Clown shared a bemused glance. What was it with children and swear words? Allen nodded, already making plans to teach him some of the more exotic but less insulting words. Better safe than sorry, after all.

Timothy fist-pumped the air, dropping back to snuggle against Allen and Tsukikami, eyes wide open this time. 

Tsukikami instinctively moved closer, his arm tightening around Allen as he squeezed the two children in, holding them close to him as Lenalee picked the book back up and Cross angrily stormed back to his seat.

**The man turned around, and his eyes, bored and with a hint of something unreadable, met Allen's.**

**He nearly flinched, eyes widening slightly in surprise, and Allen tilted his head to look at him, his long hair, his ponytail, his bone-white mask.**

Cross scowled angrily as they all looked at him. “What?” He defended testily. “I didn’t think he’d be awake. Heck, I wasn’t even sure he would live. Excuse me for being a bit startled.”

Eyes turned to Allen, who shrugged. “Neither I nor Crown Clown was sure I would live either. It made a lot of sense at the time.”

That… that explained a lot.

**"Who are you?" he whispered at last, the dryness of his throat audible in his voice.**

“General Cross Marien and your master, you brat.” Cross snapped fondly, though Allen, Crown Clown, and Judgement were the only ones who could hear the fondness hidden beneath his gruff tone and snarky snaps. Cross Marian was not a General for nothing, after all. 

**The man stepped forward, and Allen noticed another man behind him, with long, messy brown hair, broad shoulders, and bright green eyes like Crown Clown's.**

Judgement waved cheerfully at his accommodator, who scowled at him but made no attempt to attack him.

**"General Cross Marian," the man said at last, striding forward to drop into the chair beside Allen's bed, crossing his arms and lounging back casually. All signs of surprise were gone from his eyes. "It's about time you put yourself together, kid."**

Lenalee dropped the book, gaping in surprise. “You mean that someone he loved died, and you thought he was going to die, and the first thing you say when you meet him is that it’s time for him to stop grieving? Why?”

Sighing, Cross turned to her. “Miss Lee, I don’t think you quite understand the situation here. After Mana died, Allen fell into a coma-like state. He was awake, but he wouldn’t move or eat and barely breathed on his own. He didn’t even move his eyes or blink. For all intents and purposes, he was dead. He stayed that way for a full month.”

Lenalee gasped, hand flying to her mouth. Everyone turned to look at Allen, who rubbed his head sheepishly. “Yeah, I took Mana’s death really hard. No one was sure I was gonna make it.”

Cross scowled at them. “Can you really blame me for being relieved that I no longer had to care for a practically catatonic kid? None of us knew what we’d do with him if he died, either. It was too far to bring him back to Mana and the town wouldn’t just want a random kid buried there.”

Allen spoke up, softly. “They also couldn’t afford a gravestone at the time. It was far too expensive, even with how small I was.”

Lenalee absently wondered if she could get any paler than she already was. That was absolutely horrible! What would they have done if he had died?

**The brown-haired man followed Cross silently and stood just behind him, studying Allen intently, a small frown on his face. Cross ignored him.**

“It’s not hard to ignore what you can’t see or hear, y’know,” Cross snapped, glaring at the cursed child. “I didn’t even know he existed, how was I supposed to not ignore him?”

Allen shrugged. “I thought you might have been able to see him. I could see Crown Clown, after all, and if he was with you then I figured you could see him too. It made sense at the time.”

Lenalee looked down at the book in her hands questioningly. It did make a lot of sense… now the question was how the hell they hadn’t noticed before. They’d known he was reacting to something that wasn’t there, but they’d thought he simply wasn’t mentally stable. He wasn’t the only one, after all. 

**"I need to talk to you about what happened at the graveyard," Cross continued, lighting up a cigarette. "How much did you understand?"**

Everyone exchanged glances. This sounded important in some way. The graveyard… Mana’s death had been mentioned. What had happened at the graveyard? And how was that important?

**Allen swallowed. He shrugged. "What's an akuma?" Suddenly, Crown Clown's hand felt heavy on his shoulder. The brown-haired man's eyes sharpened.**

“Akuma?” Lavi asked, eyes fixing on the white-haired boy, who shrugged. “Just read.”

They reluctantly turned their attention back to the book, many of them unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong, especially with how pale Allen was. His already pale skin had whitened until he looked like he was made of paper.

**"None of it, then," Cross muttered, looking mildly put out.**

“Isn’t it a good thing he didn’t know about akumas?” Lenalee asked innocently, turning her attention to the redhead general.

He snorted. “No, it meant I had to teach him about them. That was a pain- for both of us.”

Shrugging, Lenalee figured it was just the way he was and returned her attention to the book.

**Allen shrugged again and looked over Cross' shoulder to the brown-haired man. Cross' brow furrowed and he followed Allen's gaze, and then frowned in confusion. "What?" Cross asked.**

**"Who are you?" Allen asked the man, voice quiet.**

**Cross looked back at him sharply, and that strange emotion reentered his eyes - concern, Allen realized with a little confusion of his own. "Kid…"**

Everyone’s eyes snapped to Cross, astonished that he was actually showing concern. The general was famous for not caring about anyone or anything. He never showed care or concern. The fact that he’d actually taken an apprentice has been talk for months after Allen had arrived.

“What?” he snapped, glaring at them. “I’d promised to take care of him and I didn’t want to have to take care of a mentally deficient child! He was enough work as it was!”

Yeah, that sounded like him. 

**The green-eyed man's eyes also lit up with surprise, and then a smirk, small and a little forced, came over his face. Crown Clown smirked at him, green eyes faintly amused.**

Allen groaned slightly. “I was so stupid… at least  _ someone _ was amused by me.” Crown Clown grinned at him, hand briefly moving to ruffle his hair before snuggling back up against him.

**_Justice. The face of the executioner. The gates of Heaven and Hell. A heart against a feather, a lightning strike, the hand of Fate._ **

Everyone blinked for a moment, surprised at the roundabout way of introducing himself. Couldn’t he just give his name?

Allen looked at them and sighed. “Remember, Innocences don’t use words. Those are all pictures. You have to put it together. It might seem normal on paper, but it’s a bit stranger in real life.”

They all considered that for a moment, shuddered, and turned away. They wouldn’t want to have to figure that out.

Komui shivered. Innocence speech gave him headaches. He didn’t know how Allen managed it all the time.

**Allen considered for a short moment, and then asked, "Judgement?"**

**Cross' eyes widened.**

He glared at them before they had a chance to say anything, and everyone who was about to speak wisely shut their mouths.

**Judgement's smirk widened, and he nodded, looking almost... impressed.**

**"You can see Innocence," Cross breathed, and there was no taking back the genuine amazement in that voice.**

That was probably the most surprising thing they’d heard this whole time, and that counted every discovery they’d made so far. None of them had even known that Cross could feel amazement.

Judgement and Allen exchanged glances, both of them fighting to suppress their smirks. Poor Cross would never be left alone again after this book was over.

**Allen tilted his head, and then looked at Crown Clown in question.**

**"Innocence?" he asked the other boy.**

“Wait, you didn’t even know that they were called Innocence?” Lavi asked curiously. Allen shrugged. “As far as I knew, Crown Clown was a mental disorder or imaginary friend. Why did it matter to me what he was? He was there and that was all that mattered.” 

**And Crown Clown smiled.**

Lenalee closed the book, heaving a sigh of relief. “That’s the end of the chapter,” she announced. “Who wants to read next?”

Lavi waved a hand in the air. “Me!”

Smiling in relief, Lenalee handed the book to the redhead, sitting back in her seat and waiting for the next chapter to begin. 

**Author's Note:**

> All right! To my surprise, this actually turned out good. Funny coincidence, though; this chapter was exactly 2222 words when completely, making this the second story this week to have a first chapter/prologue thingy exactly 2222 words long. If there are any more, I don't even know what I'll do. 
> 
> Thank you for reading this and please tell me what you think!


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